Rainy and I've been cooking.... so what else is new?

We finally saw some rain for our Monsoon Season.... that name brings images of flash floods,  lots of rain, wind and water, not piddly sprinkles that don't even wash the car right just put spots on it. I can feel the humidity though and for a minute I was able to inhale the scent of wet grass and earth. I love that scent MMMmmmm.... reminds me of Merida and Puerto Vallarta, places where it knows how to rain for real..... of course, you get hurricanes there too so feast or famine I guess.

Must be psychological to me because rainy weather feels like baking time even if it's not cold. Out come the baking pans and before you know it the house is full of the aroma of baking breads or goodies. Love it! This time it was Focaccia (black olive & rosemary) and some buttermilk biscuits which I love with Sausage Gravy (OMG, sausage gravy, a very terrible thing I love...), and having some hot Italian sausages I also made some Sausage Ragu we can use over pasta with a heavy tomato sauce, full of spices that will turn plain pasta into something out of the ordinary.... MMmmmmm!

Easy recipes that give maximum results. The Focaccia is large, more than enough so after having a piece or two it can be turned into some amazing croutons for Panzanella or Caesar Salad. I love croutons and the more flavorful the better all full of vinaigrette, really adds a lot to any salad and I'm glad to be able to recycle items so they get fully used and don't bore my guys......

Black Olive & Rosemary Focaccia.- Very easy preparation that is finished quickly and gives much satisfaction to everyone. You can vary the topping to any you prefer and it will be great! How about sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, sardine, dried fruits, Poblano chili strips, etc. you get the idea, let you imagination run wild.....

2 cups warm water (105°F; to 115°F)
2 teaspoons dry yeast
4 1/2 cups (about) all purpose flour
 2 teaspoons salt
 3 tablespoons olive oil
24 black or green brine-cured olives (such as Kalamata or Greek),pitted, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried

 Place 2 cups warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle dry yeast over; stir with fork. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Add 4 1/4 cups flour and salt to yeast mixture and stir to blend well (dough will be sticky). Knead dough on floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is sticky, about 10 minutes. Form dough into ball. Oil large bowl; add dough, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough; knead into ball and return to same bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes or less.

Coat 15x10-inch baking sheet with 1 tablespoon oil. Punch down dough. Transfer to prepared sheet. Using fingertips, press out dough to 13x10-inch rectangle. You can leave it thicker or thinner, your choice. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil over dough. Sprinkle olives and chopped rosemary evenly over. Let dough rise uncovered in warm area until puffy, about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475°F. Press fingertips all over dough, forming indentations (stab the dough with your finger, leaving a hole). Bake bread until brown and crusty, about 20 minutes. Serve bread warm or at room temperature. My oven runs hot so I lower the temperature to 450 F and check it at 15 minutes, you know your oven so be sure to check the dough and lift up a corner to insure it's not getting overly done on the underside. Just use this as a guide, ok?
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Looks lovely doesn't it? Pretty great too!  I hope you will go ahead and make this, you'll be glad you did. Don't worry if you've never made bread before as this recipe is super simple and you shouldn't have any problems. So nice, you'll love it!

This is also a vegetarian / vegan item which, by changing the type of flour, could also be made gluten free. If you want the dough to be sweeter then add sugar instead of the salt mentioned, same goes for adding red pepper flakes or anything else.